Kennebunk Hockey: Team Chemistry and Leadership

“Out of all the teams I’ve played on I’ve never felt closer to a group of guys. It helped us come together and overcome a lot of adversity.” ~ Spencer Desrochers

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The team celebrates after an exciting 3-2 win over Cape Elizabeth in January.

Last Tuesday night,  the boy’s varsity ice hockey season came to a close, marking the end of their season here at KHS. After a well-fought attempt to make it to the Colisee in Lewiston for the fourth year in a row, Kennebunk fell short to Greely 5-2, ending their season 12-6-1. Behind this record is a group of hardworking individuals who all share the ice, the love of hockey, and an undeniable chemistry.

When you have a group of people working towards one common goal, it’s important they find a way to get along. It takes hard work; adjusting to new personalities and abilities, but that’s something the Rams were prepared for heading into the season. This year, the chemistry throughout the team was a little different than previous years. Senior goalie Spencer Desrochers said that “The group of guys this year was a lot different than years past, and definitely in a good way. We were very close as a team, and because of that we knew how to work very well together.” For the majority of the season, the Rams ran only two lines, which Desrochers mentioned  “proved the chemistry and togetherness of our team.” Being able to form such a tight bond allowed the team to overcome a lot of the challenges they faced throughout the season.

The community came together throughout the season to support the boys no matter how they played, which was a key part of the attitude throughout the team. Senior captain Miles Eaton, who is one of six graduating seniors, said that “The support the entire community gave us this season was unbelievable and we can’t thank everyone enough. It’s been a lot of fun over the past four years, our senior class will really miss it next November.”

The community is also gaining more youth hockey players who look up to the varsity players as role models. Senior Justin Wiggins mentioned that being a role model to younger kids throughout the community is the reason to have good sportsmanship, saying “The kids are going to remember watching us play, and some might want to play like us in the future; it is important for us to set a good example.” Eaton added “I take a lot of pride being considered as a role model for the hockey community for Kennebunk, I think all of the leaders on our team did a great job exemplifying ourselves on and off the ice.” The best part about being a role model to these kids? They’ll still look up to you whether you win or lose, and don’t seem to care too much about that whole record thing.

In the end it was a successful season for Kennebunk. Maybe they didn’t make it as far as they would have liked, but when you step back and look at the bigger picture there’s no doubt they were able to come together and give it their best shot.